5:23pm: Speaking to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick (Twitter links) and other reporters, Hill said he was told he had a flexor tendon strain. The southpaw has already received a PRP injection and won’t start throwing for around a month. Hill didn’t have any firmer details about when he could be able to return to the mound, though he does expect to pitch again this season.
5:05pm: The Dodgers have officially placed Hill on the 10-day injured list with a left forearm strain, as per a team announcement. Infielder Matt Beaty was optioned to Triple-A, while right-handers Josh Sborz and JT Chargois will join the 25-man roster.
7:14am: Dodgers starter Rich Hill lasted just one inning Wednesday before exiting with what the team called left forearm discomfort. While the southpaw will undergo an MRI on Thursday to determine the severity of the injury, a 10-day IL stint is a certainty, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.
A forearm injury is ominous for a pitcher because it sometimes serves as a precursor to Tommy John surgery. Hill has already undergone the procedure once, in 2011, though he’s “pretty confident” he won’t require it this time. The 39-year-old revealed that a “very preliminary ultrasound” showed his elbow ligament’s still intact.
Even if Hill has avoided a possible career-ending scenario with this injury, it will still represent the latest IL stint during his recent rebirth. A series of injuries have prevented the journeyman from throwing more than 135 2/3 innings in a season since he unexpectedly emerged as a quality starter late in 2015 with the Red Sox.
The Dodgers acquired Hill from the Athletics during the summer of 2016 and then prevented him from leaving in free agency the ensuing winter with a three-year, $48MM contract. Now in the last season of his deal, the still-effective Hill has pitched to a 2.55 ERA/4.11 FIP with 10.36 K/9, 2.04 BB/9 and a 48.9 percent groundball rate over 10 starts and 53 innings.
After Hill departed Wednesday, the Dodgers’ bullpen worked eight solid innings to help the first-place club cruise to a 9-2 win over the Giants. The Hill-less Dodgers will turn to fellow lefty Julio Urias to start Thursday, with righty Ross Stripling backing him up, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com tweets. With Urias and Stripling among fallbacks behind Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Walker Buehler and Kenta Maeda, the Dodgers’ rotation should continue to perform like one of the majors’ best as it awaits Hill’s return.
the poor man is made of glass, yet still continues to produce. hats off.
He’s not poor; he’s Rich.
Did you guys plan this?
The Dodgers have been concealing the fact that the original injury came in the clubhouse when Ryu threw a Hadooken at Hill. They got in a petty argument that went bad. Hill is lucky that Ryu didn’t throw a fiery Hadooken or flaming uppercut at him. Clubhouse officials have, however, confirmed that Hill suffered the consequences of Ryu’s round the world kick. It was so bad that Chuck Norris showed up in the clubhouse just to ask for Ryu’s autograph. Ryu considered it… then respectfully declined.
Fail.
That was a waste of time but thanks , I guess.
…That time of the year already?
Enough with this guy
Bout time to either get TJ or throw in the towel
If he’s injured he clearly can’t throw in the towel..
He could use the other arm…..
Toss it with foot or mouth
Bout time you stopped giving advice.
He’s 39, with a previous TJS, and in the last year of his contract. The moment they cut his elbow a 2nd time, his MLB career is over. He has to rest and rehab, no matter how bad it is, or he’s thrown his last MLB pitch.
39 is the new 27. Rich will be next Jamie Moyer type career. Control hook for strike a lot? Then big league job if he wants. Fifth starter who gives 125 inning for year, a lot!
I really like this guy but if they cut on him he’s done for 2019 and probably for good.
Cut him? This isn’t football. Even if he were to miss the whole season there is nothing they can do but keep him on the IL. Besides he is a big team leader so even if he were to not pitch again they would want him around. The man has been their best playoff pitcher of the last 3 years too and would be an excellent 4 starter in October
Cut him as in surgery, not cut him from the roster.
Dang. Guess MLBTR shouldn’t be the 1st thing you look at while half asleep in the morning
“…cut on him…” means surgery…..
The Dodgers haven’t announced a call-up yet. Stripling is the best candidate to replace Hill in the rotation and if they do that they’ll need another bullpen arm, and they aren’t exactly swimming in great options in that department. Afraid it might be Rosscup.
I wonder if they might give Gosselin or May a spot start here and there.
Gonsolin is ahead of May but I wouldn’t expect either move unless/until they know how much time Hill will miss. Right now the crying need is for a lefty reliever. Somebody got on an airplane this morning but we don’t know who. Hoping it isn’t Rosscup but I suspect it is.
Chargois has some good looking stats at AAA, I have a feeling he’ll get the call ahead of Gonsolin or May.
Good call on Chargois. Surprised no lefty, but the pickings are pretty slim there. Let’s just hope we don’t see Sborz appear in anything like a close game.
Ross Stripling needs a full shot at starting. He’s been very solid. Why is he constantly overlooked by the Dodgers?
He said “cut on him” as in surgery, not “cut him” as in Ryan Leaf
Rich Hill is free agent at end of season! Dodgers won’t be resigning him! So if he has surgery he won’t be on team after season anyway! Hill needs to hang it up!
You use a lot of exclamation points! They are annoying!
!
Next man up!
Can he rehab for 2 months and become a lefty specialist/corners nibbler? (Probably not, but here’s to hoping….)
Not sure about doing it health wise, but that’s the rather limited role the Red Sox attempted to use him in in 2010-2013.
Stro
He is allllll done.
Urias as a lefty replacement long term seems like the idea, though Stripling has been great for 2+ years now. Either would be the #1 starter for Florida, Baltimore or the Tigers….
Not in Detroit. Boyd and Turnbull have for better doing on the mounds. Not in Baltimore. Their stadium designs to destroy ALL starting pitcher confidence. Not in Florida. That no show organization and absent fan base, make baseball no fun. All ace there go in trade after becoming ace.
Dodger fans, no World Series? No complain, just really enjoy good compete baseball and depth depth depth. A lot!
What?
How many pitches did he throw injured? The Giants announcers saw it pretty early and he threw several after they said it looked like he was feeling discomfort. I realize he might be at the end of his rope, but I can’t imagine he helped himself out there.
Ross Stripling needs a full shot at starting. He’s been very solid. Why is he constantly overlooked by the Dodgers?
How long will the Dodgers go with 3 bench players now that Beaty was sent down? Maybe Pollock is ready to return, or some other move is in the works.